Erling Haaland
If you only watch one player at the 2026 World Cup, make it this Norwegian goal-scoring machine — Erling Haaland is basically a cheat code in human form, a 6'4" striker who runs like a sprinter and finishes like he's playing a video game on easy mode. He's spent the last few years absolutely terrorizing the best defenders in the world at Manchester City, routinely breaking scoring records that nobody thought would fall for decades. Norway has historically been a long shot on the world stage, but Haaland is the kind of once-in-a-generation talent who can single-handedly drag a team somewhere it has no business being. Watch for those moments when he gets the ball in open space — what happens next tends to be very bad news for whoever's standing in goal.